"wood stump" coasters

Last season, I participated in the Pinterest Challenge hosted by YHL & Bower Power (this time includes Ten June & Centsational Girl too). It's so fun to see everyone's ideas and inspiration come to life, so I decided I'd give it another go. Last time I linked up my It's A Cinch bag... so this time I decided I'd do a smaller scale project. 

Here's what I came up with...

I saw these adorable apple coasters on Pinterest [of course] and loved them so much I decided that I'd make some. However, I began thinking about it and knew that apples probably weren't the best choice of coasters for our house for everyday use... 

I brainstormed a few minutes and landed on the tree stump coaster idea. They definitely are more our "everyday" style and they were fun and easy to make:

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Here's what you'll need to make your own:

felt (in a variety of "tree stump" colors)

my "tree stump coaster" template

coordinating thread (not pictured)

sewing machine or hand needle

scissors

pins

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[1] Start by pinning the "outer tree stump" template to your darkest piece of felt (this will be your "bark"). You will need 1 outer tree stump per coaster.

[2] Repeat this step with the lighter felt and "inner wood stump" template. You will need 1 inner tree stump per coaster.

[3] If you choose to embellish your stumps with a twig and leaves... here was my method:

Using my sewing machine, I chose a stitch that looked the veins and stitched onto a piece of green felt. Keeping the thread tails connected, I cut them into the shape of a leaf. *** Be sure to keep the thread tails connected because you'll use them to attached your leaves ***

[4] Cut a small curved piece of dark felt for your twig. Pin together your outer stump, twig & inner stump and sew together on your sewing machine. I started with the outer edge of the wood grain and circled around to the middle (making sure to capture my twig so it would be secured to the rest of the coaster).

This part is fun because it doesn't have to be perfect - in fact, I tried to make some irregular lines to make the veins look more realistic. 

[5] Finally, hand stitch the leaves to the twigs for the final touch. Repeat steps 3-5 on your remaining coasters... then have a drink! Maybe some mint tea?

gift tags ::part 1::

I thought I'd give a try at making some homemade gift tags. I figured if I wanted to prepare for upcoming birthdays and Christmas, I better start now. They're easy to make and fun to personalize and are perfect for any gift:

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Here is what you'll need to make your own:

card stock or scrap cardboard

gift tag template

letter stencil

twine

hole punch

markers/pens/etc.

paper cutter or scissors

rubber stamps (optional)

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happy 4th!

I didn't do a very good job of planning ahead this year...so I thought I'd share a few last minute easy 4th of July treats that you can make in a pinch for any kind of gathering. Here goes:

TRIX KRISPY TREATS

adapted from Cravings of a Lunatic

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What you'll need:

1 box of Trix cereal (about 13 cups)

2 bags of mini marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

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dino t-shirt

I had heard such wonderful things about using freezer paper for art projects but had never given it a shot. I figured it was time to give it go... so I decided to make this little guy t-shirt for a friend of mine's son who just turned 1. I used the same little dinosaur from this project and I think he turned out pretty cute!

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Here's what you'll need to make your own:

t-shirt (pre-washed)

fabric paint

foam brush

freezer paper

pencil

exacto blade/scissors

scrap piece of cardboard

iron/ironing board

design

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